1. Field
The present invention relates to carriers for artists and more particularly to a paint and palette caddy for organizing, storing and carrying paints and palette with paint brushes in a compact case for use in the field or studio.
2. State of the Art
In the past, various paint boxes for watercolors and oil paints have been proposed for carrying the paints and the paintbrushes. U.S. Pat. No. 2,221,191 to James describes a watercolor paint box with various open color or paint pans adapted to be snapped in and out of the tray, however, the color pans expose the paint to air and do not have individual lids. The boxes permit storage of paintbrushes and provide open mixing pans.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,973 describes a resealable container having numerous fixed receptacles for storage of material, such as paint, and includes an integral cover having depressions in the form of a matrix which fit into and seal the open ends of the receptacles, thus it provides one integral unit, with a number of receptacles. However, once the integral cover is removed all the paint is exposed. In an alternate aspect hinged closures or lids for the individual receptacles fit into the receptacles with an interference fit to form a seal. In another arrangement the lids are separated from a matrix and are individually sealed away from the receptacles. The receptacles are integral with the base and cannot be replaced or treated separately.
In situations where the stored material must be stared in containers which are resealable after each use as in the case of paint sets in which the paint is stored in liquid form and is subject to drying out or other deterioration, if not properly protected, the containers filled with such paint should be sealed air-tight during transportation and storage and should be reclosable, maintaining an air-tight seal after each use of the paint.
One type of storage container which has found recent use in conjunction with perishable materials such as paints stored in liquid form utilizes a base of pressed board or other inexpensive construction having holes into which vacuum formed cups are inserted to form receptacles for paints. Each cup is fitted with a separate cap.
Although such containers, even if somewhat effective to reduce deterioration of the paints or other contents, they lack any desired features artists look for which include quick setup of easels and palettes with the full array of colors of oils or other paints readily available for use. Such containers fail to provide brushes, brush storage and palette in one accessible case.
Setting up a painting area takes time and thought when getting ready to paint. It is important for the artist to have the paints, palette and canvas relatively close together for ease of movement from the palette to canvas, thus saving time when it comes to painting. Ease of setup and rapid cleanup which are desirable features, as well as, saving of mixed color oils or other paints are lacking in the prior art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a paint and palette caddy having a case including a hinged top and a pull out tray or drawer. The case includes a carrier or tray, which may be secured to the case and provides numerous openings for securing a plurality of paint cups with snug fitting lids, which seat in the opening and are detachably secured. The carrier also includes multiplicity of slots which conveniently store the paint cup lids when the paint is being used. The slide out drawer provides the palette for mixing paints.
It is another object of the invention to provide a compact paint and palette caddy, which provides numerous paint cups, which may be removed and the cups placed in a freezer to store the paint without significant deterioration, thus permitting storage of the paint overnight or for a period of time and when the artist is ready to paint, the paint cups are then ready and placed in the caddy.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a compact carrier for paint, which includes a tray or rack holder for paint cups and lids, and a pull out drawer, which acts as the palette and may be covered with paper held in place by clips, to provide a throw away work surface cover for the palette, such that the palette does not incur paint stains or require extensive cleaning with each use.
Another object of the paint and palette caddy is to provide in a compact case a paint organizer with a paint palette, paint cups and a paint keeper/storage unit for oil, acrylic, or watercolor paints and also provides brush storage.
Another object of the invention is to provide a convenient case for carrying and storing artists"" paints and brushes, as well as, having a working palette ready to setup in the field or studio and for maintaining numerous covered paint cups that may be removed, placed in a freezer bag and stored overnight or longer until needed.
A further object of the invention is to provide an artists"" organizer in which the paints, palette, paint cups and brushes are arranged in an orderly fashion and quickly accessed to setup for use and cleanup after use.